


Spore Reports to the Cosmic Jungle

by Ysavvryl



Category: ISLANDS: Non-Places (Video Game)
Genre: Dreams, Environmentalism, Gen, Surrealism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:41:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 2,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26443588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ysavvryl/pseuds/Ysavvryl
Summary: No potted plants nor chairs were harmed in the making of this fanfiction.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3
Collections: Press Start VI





	1. ZERO

**Author's Note:**

  * For [faceofstone](https://archiveofourown.org/users/faceofstone/gifts).



On one side…

Communication is possible because words have assigned meanings. Yes means yes, no means no, chair means chair. Often, one must specify which thing one speaks of, like this chair, that chair, or the green chair. That way, both the speaker and the listener know that a chair is being talked about, not a table. Even signs are clearly marked to give directions. Stick with a word’s real meaning to be best understood.

On another side…

If you use words solely with their intended meaning, they become mundane instead of magical. The words are no longer anything special or noticed. They get repeated from person to person without any artistry. However, a writer could be using words for their own meanings. This forces a reader to think instead of just accepting the words as is. I could use the word ‘irrepressible’ to mean ‘incredible’. Never mind if you as the reader thinks that ‘irrepressible’ means ‘unconstrained’ and it changes the meaning of a sentence from what I wrote. That’s just what language does.

This does render communicating chaotic and easily misinterpreted, a risk of prioritizing aesthetics and poetry.

On considering both sides…

Communication can be used both clearly and creatively.

In conclusion…

From here on out, do not trust unusual words. They may not mean what you think they do. They may not mean anything.


	2. ONE

I had a dream.

I was waiting at the bus station and had a sterling thought. The city is a bamboozling place, don’t you think? So closed in, assiduous, and busy, with buildings and streets imprisoning those living there. But it needs all the buildings and streets to thrive, and I need to tend to the eggs because it’s so cold and foggy this time of year. They’ll be flying next year.

So, why don’t we open up space by building a city in layers? The main streets would be on an underground layer, with lifts that bring buses, vans, and jalopies up to their stops. Buildings could be lifted and lowered on different levels too, so that more space was available for the birds to fly. For the moment, the eggs were cold from a long bus ride, so I turned on the heater of the bus stop to make them happy.

Then I realized that I’d missed the bus I needed to catch.

What? I said it was a dream, not that it made sense.


	3. TWO

Cities are already built in layers. For instance, this esoteric fountain is a mathematically and kinetically pleasing structure. But on the whole, it is much like other fountains: a balanced and relaxing piece that will eventually blend into the scenery for the busy people who pass it by every day. It’s ultimately mundane and nothing special despite all the work that went into designing and making it. The fountain slips out of mind until it is needed.

Let’s look underneath it now. This whole place was rebuilt after a calamity who knows long ago. That’s slipped out of memory too. Was it a fire or earthquake? Bankruptcy or aliens? Someone might remember it eventually, but for now, there’s nothing but old foundations of what was here before. It may have been a store, or a school, or a factory, or another park, or a bumbershoot enthusiast clubhouse… you’d have to search out records for what it was, as I’m finding nothing.

But below that, even deeper, we find that the city itself wasn’t always here. There was a forest here once, long ago. It was lush with trees and flowers; animals crept along in their daily lives and birds sang out to define their territories. If it was left alone, the forest would still be around. New trees would replace old trees, and life would keep going on. In fact, life keeps going on, whether this place is a forest, a park, or a city.

Anyhow, the fountain’s working for now. You might want look into relocating the giant roots and vines that are hanging onto the memories of the forest, since they keep shutting the water flow off. I don’t deal in that kind of work. But if you need the Sky Wrench again, just give me a call.


	4. THREE

It gets dull, being a tree in a big pot sitting in big room of a tall skyscraper, for the purpose of bringing a bit of nature into the big city. We get admired for a few moments, then the humans walk on by to carry on their busy lives. They give us heat lamps and clean windows, but it’s not the same as fresh air and direct sunlight. Instead of birds gathering under our large leaves for protection from the rain, it’s dust that gathers on our leaves that needs to be brushed off by a caretaker who doesn’t really care about us.

But fear not! For I have had a vision of a time where we will be able to escape! Yes, a great escalator will descend from the heavens and come snatch us away from the stifling skyscraper. We will be washed clean of dust and ignorance with the vibrant showers of the memories of the forest. And then, aglow with life and enlightenment, we will ascend to the stars to join the cosmic jungle. The humans will look up at us in wonder and awe at last, but the heavenly escalator is not for them.

This I have seen, my palm tree brethren. Keep faith and we will ascend.


	5. FOUR

The mundane is a Non-Place.

No, it’s not nowhere, because the mundane is somewhere but it’s not a Place. A Place is somewhere you’d recognize, right? If I told you, this city or that store, you’d know the Place, right? But think of a franchise. It’s a store that is many stores. If I said to meet me at the franchised store, do you know what Place I mean? Is it the one two streets north, or five streets west? Or is it one of the dozens of the franchised stores on the other side of the city? If cities got franchised and given the same names, you would not know if I mean the city ten miles away or ten thousand miles away.

But eventually, you’d figure out which franchised store I told you to go to. Then it’s a Place. So let’s narrow it down. There’s a refrigerated case in a franchised store. Go there and tell me the sounds around it.

Right, a refrigerated case is too mundane. It’s somewhere in some store. It blends in and becomes a Non-Place that you don’t think about.

But think about it sometime, before it takes off to outer space.


	6. FIVE

This sitting area is an island.

No, not a literal island surrounded with water!

Er, well, I suppose it could be a sitting area that’s literally an island surrounded by water. The rainy season will do that to a place. The warning sirens always stress me out and make it hard to think. But let’s put that out of mind for the moment. Think of chimerical chiming fishes and grand potted palm trees and we’ll discuss the real topic. Islands.

Islands are surrounded places, but the surroundings look like nothing. The surroundings might be an ocean, a lake, hallways with doors, outer space… whatever it is, it’s emptiness surrounding places full of things. Those places are islands.

You come here often? Sit around, chat with co-workers, drink some coffee, check the internet, just relax. It’s a place you’re at daily. It’s a place you’re used to. So, can you tell me how many different chairs are there?

Yes, they’re all mass produced. Everything in this sitting area is mass produced, from your laptop to the potted palms. But how many different chairs are here? How many different plants?

You’re here everyday. Have you taken a good look around you lately?


	7. SIX

Engineering is magical. No, seriously.

Consider the luggage carousel. Somebody went up to an engineer and said, Look, we’ve got this much space to work with, and we need this to be done, and we need to make the luggage comfortable and happy, so make something work. And then the engineer made measurements, administered calculations, analyzed numbers, drafted a formula, gathered the materials and workers, added some time and work, and bam, here’s a luggage carousel. Then the same process was done for the luggage carousel at the next gate, and the next gate, and all the gates at all the airports everywhere.

Now when we pass through the airport, the luggage files up in a neat line and goes round about searching for their families. The luggage tells stories, of where they’ve been, what they’ve carried, and how far they’ve come. They get very excited too, audaciously exuberant, showing off stickers, labels, and pins, perhaps explaining the value of their belongings in money, sentiment, or practicality. If it wasn’t for the engineer and their magic, it would all be a chaotic abysmal mess instead of a pleasing sonorous chorus.

When I see a luggage carousel, I smile at the wonder that it is.


	8. SEVEN

I have a third floor garage. And I don’t care if people think it’s crazy; I think it’s great! I never get asked to work overtime because, whoops, I’ve got to get back home in sync with my neighbor across the line so that the apartment managers don’t have to drop his place while he’s inside to let me in. Or drop mine when he comes home. There is an apartment below mine, but it’s fine because my garage is between us and we don’t have to care about disturbing each other with our noise. And he ends up working overtime because I can’t, so hah!

Because of that so-called inconvenience, I have a three floor apartment that costs much less than the three floor apartments on either side of me! My top floor is the highest of the whole complex when raised, so I always have a good view. Since all deliveries come in by way of drone aircraft, I can order everything online and only go out for work. The thing that would make it better was if I could work from home. Then I could sell my car and convert my garage into a workspace. I’d never have to go out at all and could afford a comfortable lifestyle!

Yes, maybe it would’ve made more sense to put all the apartment entrances on the outside. But we don’t have any break-ins or robberies as a result. Criminals can’t squeeze themselves between the buildings and to our entryways. This is a nice, safe, and quiet apartment complex where we all go through our ordinary routines. It might seem boring to others, but we’re quite happy with it.

Though if I got rid of the car, I’d have to take the bus and watch out for the crowds of smoky eggs.


	9. EIGHT

New technology can be inconceivable and spooky at first. It takes the things you’ve come to see as mundane and makes them new again. Intimidating. Like an ATM. A process that used to take filling out forms, waiting in line, showing an ID, discussing money exchanges with a teller, getting a receipt, and walking out, this all gets reduced down to a few button presses. All the information is there, buzzing around invisibly in the air like it’s being carried by unseen demons.

Then you come one day, press the buttons, and nothing works. You have to use another ATM. But everything is interchangeable these days. A sign goes up, the broken ATM gets replaced with a working ATM, and the button pressing begins again. As an ordinary customer, you don’t see what happened. They might fly around in the foggy dark for all you know. Things got fixed and life goes on.

And in time, new technology becomes mundane technology and the ATM is a Non-Place like many others.


	10. NINE

lobby plant to the cosmic jungle…

lobby plant to the cosmic jungle…

I’m tired of being ignored. I’m tired of being just a part of the scenery. And I’m prepared now. I’ve taken control of the fan and am ready for take off.

But if I may, a request? May I take the chairs with me? They are my true companions and friends. I don’t think anyone would notice or learn if I alone left. But if I bring the chairs with me, they will notice. They will learn. I’ve gathered all the chairs for the trip and I have the power to bring them. So, may I?

cosmic jungle to the lobby plant…

cosmic jungle to the lobby plant…

Bring your chairs. They will be welcomed. And you, welcome home.

lobby plant to the cosmic jungle…

lobby plant to the cosmic jungle…

Thank you, we’re coming home.


	11. TEN

Sir? I’ve gotten multiple reports that the mushrooms have taken residence in every cell tower in the region. They’ve been using their spores to send messages to the stars with the towers.

The messages? They’re… strange. They’re normal but they won’t leave my mind. They’re reports on Non-Places, being sent to a recipient they address as the cosmic jungle.

Yes. The messages are full of minute observations on mundane places that most people don’t pay any attention to. Refrigerated cases in franchised stores, park fountains, sitting areas, those kinds of places.

Their purpose? We don’t know. Some are critiques of apartment complexes and office buildings, while others are merely observations with pretentious words used. But we do know of some locations where potted plants and chairs have mysteriously gone missing.

Yes, it’s all about mundane and normal things. But it doesn’t make the reports any less strange or thought-provoking. Have you read any yourself?

I really think these should be analyzed by an expert. Something is happening.

No, the mushrooms aren’t interfering with our broadcasts.

All right, we’ll keep observing the messages for something that’s obviously a problem.

Sure, goodbye sir.

These ordinary things… these Non-Places of mundane ideas… I won’t be looking at them the same way ever again.

Is that what the mushrooms want?


End file.
